BAE Systems will produce and sell radiation-hardened field-programmable gate array (FPGA) semiconductors for space use, responding to a critical customer need for the devices. Under a license agreement with Actel Corp., the company will manufacture FPGAs that were discontinued in 2006.
The agreement solves a major obsolescence problem for many legacy satellite programs, enabling producers of satellite payloads and instruments to avoid time-consuming and costly redesigns.
"BAE Systems can now produce mature FPGA products to support older government and commercial satellite designs," said Tim Scott, national sales manager of space components for BAE Systems in Manassas, Virginia. BAE Systems was the original equipment manufacturer of the discontinued Actel RH1280, and is the only manufacturer of the RH1280B, the new part designation.
